CHAPTER 5:

Later that evening, Tori sat on her bed, staring at her laptop and working on her resume. Leah came in, standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Leah, what's going on?" Tori asked casually, happy to have a reason to procrastinate.

"Hey, I was…well, I've been working on a song I want to sing for an audition, and I was wondering If I could get you to listen to it?" Leah asked.

"An audition?" Tori asked her surprised. She sat up straight. "Sure, go for it."

Leah started to sing the verse and chorus of Roar by Katy Perry. Tori smiled, and nodded along as she listened. Her positive response seemed to make Leah happy.

"Wow, that was really good, Leah. You did an awesome job!" Tori said.

"Thank you. That means a lot. I'm sure to get into Hollywood Arts next fall with this kind of song," Leah told her.

"Hollywood Arts?" Tori asked, unsure if she had heard correctly.

"Yeah," Leah clarified. Then she looked nervous…"Why? How come?"

"It's just that my sister and I went to that school. We graduated last June," Tori explained.

"Wait, really? That's awesome! Does that mean you can sing too?" Leah asked, excited.

"Sing. Dance. You name it!" Tori said happily, getting up off her bed.

"When I do my audition, I'll be sure to give you and your sister a mention," Leah promised.

"Great," Tori said as she proceeded to open the linen cupboard. "You might want this," – she pulled out a blue and red jacket with the Hollywood Arts logo embroidered on it. She handed it to Leah.

"Omg," Leah said with a gasp, feeling the fabric. "Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Tori answered without a doubt. "I won't have any use for it, since I already graduated, but I don't want it to go to waste. Go on, put it on." So Leah did. "It might be too big now, but you'll grow into it." Tori proceeded back to her bed.

Leah sat down beside her, tucking her hair behind her ears. Tori patted her shoulder. "Hey Tori…Do you think I'd ever be good enough to make it into Hollywood Arts?" she asked.

"Definitely. If you can sing as confidently for them as you did for me, you'll make it in easily," Tori said.

Leah was quiet for a moment, before leaning in, attempting to pucker up.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Tori asked, slowly backing up.

"Kissing you, silly," Leah said with a smile.

"But, why?" Tori asked, alarmed.

Leah moved back and then looked away, redness growing on her face. "Because I like you," she said. "You- you've been really nice to me."

"Well, that's very nice and all, but I only like you as a friend," Tori said.

"How come?" Leah asked.

"First of all, I'm straight," Tori clarified, hoping her voice wasn't too loud.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Leah whispered. "I just thought…well, you were being so nice to me, and you're really pretty…I just thought…never mind."

Tori sighed, "And second, you're 14 and I'm 18. So, even if I was interested in you, which I'm not, you're way too young for me. It wouldn't be appropriate, or legal even, and I could get into a lot of trouble."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I never should've tried," Leah apologized, feeling bad.

"It's okay, Leah, Just – don't do that again, please. Let's just continue with what we were working on," Tori said.


The next day, while Leah was out at the mall with Trina, Tori was in her bedroom, talking to her mom about Leah.

"I just don't think it's fair, Mom," Tori said. "It's not like Leah can help that she's into girls… it's just who she is."

"I know, honey," Holly said. "And I don't understand why Leah's parents would even think about kicking her out over something so insignificant…I mean it's not like she committed a crime or anything."

"Exactly! There's got to be something we can do about this," Tori said.

"Your father's been trying to figure out what we can do. Not just regarding Leah, but her parents as well," Holly explained.

"Honey, can you come down here for a minute?" David yelled from the kitchen.

"Hang on, let me go see what your father wants," Holly said, getting up and exiting Tori's room.


Holly went downstairs to meet her husband in the kitchen.

"There you are," David said.

"What's up?" Holly asked.

"I've been on the phone with Child Protective Services for over two hours and I finally got through," David told her.

"What'd they say?" Holly asked curiously.

"If all goes according to plan, they could have Leah's parents charged for child abandonment," David explained.

"How long would that take?" Holly asked.

"Well, CPS said they'll start an investigation. It'll take some time, but depending on what they find out, it will hopefully be soon," David explained.

"I just feel sorry for that poor girl. I couldn't imagine kicking out your own child," Holly said.

"Well, we'll help her, don't worry," David told her.

THE END!